Hollywood actor John Boyega has been vocal about the issue of systematic racism instilled in showbiz very passionately, so much so that at one point, he feared he would lose his career in Hollywood for backing the Black Lives Matter movement. Out of the turbulent times, the actor is happy that the industry is not shunning away the issue, and working on rectifying the mistakes.
Previously, Boyega has shared his experiences of being targeted by racists after he was cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). He has even suggested that he would not return to future Star Wars films due to the backlash, while claiming that he felt like his character’s role was sidetracked. In 2020, at one of the Black Lives Matter protests, Boyega was filmed giving an impassioned speech about racism, too.
Now, he is happy to admit that there is evidence of growing diversity — onscreen and off screen. And his last film, The Woman King, is testimony to it.
“I have always wanted us as a people, especially black people, to have access to all different types of projects, and to be able to see ourselves in all different types of projects. And I think that The Woman King adds to that conversation, and adds to that movement in a dynamic way,” Boyega tells us.
Ask him how and he explains: “Like I’m particularly excited to see dark skinned brown women on screen. Black women being in this position to be in lead, be top five on the call sheet, being behind the camera as well as in front of it. I think it all adds to the positive conversation that hopefully leads to some real change.”
The actor is positive about the inclusivity on screen, so we ask him if he hopes to see a Black Bond come on screen soon. And he declares he is holding onto that hope with much excitement.
“I would hope so. From my perspective, a lot of black actors, who have their own production companies, it is that we are trained to create for ourselves now at this point. I’m trying to collaborate with people in the industry, who we can identify as true allies. That in itself is a process, so hopefully we get that done,” he concludes.
